A temporary registrant is a physical therapist who is registered to practice in good standing in another jurisdiction and intends to visit British Columbia for education purposes, emergency services or a purpose to be approved by the registrar for a maximum of 30 days.
Are you a physical therapist registered outside of British Columbia (BC) coming to BC for education purposes, emergency services or a purpose approved by the registrar?
- If Yes – see below for information on applying for temporary registration
Are you a physical therapist outside of BC looking to provide physical therapy services in BC on a temporary or long term basis?
- If Yes – you will need to apply for full registration rather than temporary registration
Applying for Temporary Registration
Physical Therapists registered in another jurisdiction may apply for temporary registration as described in College Bylaw 46:
46. (1) The registration committee may grant temporary registration to an applicant who is registered or licensed to practise physical therapy by a regulatory authority in another jurisdiction acceptable to the registration committee, for education purposes, emergency services or a purpose to be approved by the registrar.
(2) The permit expires 30 days after the date of initial registration, on the date on which the purpose is attained or when the member is no longer engaged in attaining that purpose, whichever is the earliest.
Allow at least 5 business days to process applications once all documents are submitted. To ensure currency of regulatory history information, applications made more than 3 months preceding the course or other purpose will not be considered.
- Click on the Registrant Login button on the CPTBC website home page
- Login if you have an existing account. If you do not have an account, follow the prompt for set up. Do not create duplicate accounts as that will result in delays
- From the home page, under Applications, select Temporary Registration. If you have been a registrant with the College in the past, the form is located under Reinstatements
- Follow the instructions carefully to complete the form; you may save your work and return to the form as needed
- Once the form is complete, click on the ‘Submit’ button
- Please see below for details on individual sections of the application form
The fee for temporary registration is $78 ($50 registration fee + $28 CRC fee); the fee is non-refundable, not pro-rated and subject to change.
CPTBC requires all applicants to submit TWO notarized documents to verify their identity.
Accepted Forms of Identification
Primary Identification
BC driver’s licence or learner’s licence (must have photo)
BC Identity card (BCID)
BC Services card (must have photo)
Passport
Canadian citizenship card
Permanent resident card
Canadian record of landing/Canadian immigration identification record
Secure certificate of Indian status
Secondary Identification
School identification card (student card)
Birth certificate (a baptismal certificate is not acceptable)
Canadian or US driver’s licence
Secure certificate of Indian status
Canadian forces identification
Picture employee ID card
BC Services card (with or without photo)
Student, work, visitor, or temporary resident permit
NEXUS card
Foreign passport
Foreign Affairs Canada or consular identification
Bank card
Credit card
Identification documents must:
- Be valid and unexpired
- Be notarized and verified in their original form by a notary public or lawyer; other professionals will not be accepted
- Include at least one primary identification
- Include at least one government issued and photo ID
- Include your name and at least one with date of birth and signature
As per the BC Criminal Records Review Act, all applicants are required to complete a BC CRC at the time of initial application, and thereafter, every five years as long as they continue to be registered with the CPTBC. For more information, please click here: Criminal Record Check For Physical Therapists.
- Follow instructions on the application form to consent to the CPTBC applying for the CRC on your behalf
- You are providing consent to the initial CRC as well as a re-check as long as you continue to register with the CPTBC
- Some people are required to provide fingerprints; the Ministry will contact you directly if this is required
- The Ministry charges $28.00 to conduct a CRC; this will be included in your invoice when you apply for registration; if you apply for temporary registration more than once over the course of our registration year (June 1 – May 31), you will only be charged once for that year
Fingerprinting
Some applicants may be required to complete a fingerprinting process. This is a secondary process administered by local municipalities and federal or local enforcement agencies. There are fees associated with fingerprinting and they must be paid locally.
For more information, please click here: Criminal Record Check For Physical Therapists.
You will be asked specify:
- What course(s) or event(s) you wish to attend
- The start or end date of the event(s)
Applicants who have been registered with any regulatory (health and/or non-health) agency in the past 10 years must complete a regulatory history form:
- Complete Section 1 of the Regulatory History Form (PDF)
- Send the form to the applicable regulatory authority
- The regulatory authority must return the completed form directly to the CPTBC
- Please click here for instructions if the regulatory agency is one of the following: HCPC, CORU, Ahpra and some jurisdictions in India
Note: Regulatory history forms returned by the applicant to the CPTBC will not be accepted.
Applicants who have worked in other jurisdictions (this might be a country or a state/province) that have mandatory registration for physical therapists are expected to complete a regulatory history form. This is a fundamental expectation of a member of a regulated profession, and it is the applicant’s responsibility to account for any lack of such registration.
Registrants are required to have, at all times, private, individual professional liability insurance in the amount of at least 3 million dollars (CAD) per occurrence (See Bylaw 82).
- Upload a copy of private insurance certificate from owner
BMS via the Canadian Physiotherapy Association and Physiosure are two of the larger private insurance providers.
Once all documents are received, the application will be reviewed and may result in:
- Application approval, or
- Application referred to the Registration Committee
The review process takes an average of 5 business days. At times of high volume, it may take longer.
If the application goes to the registration committee, the review and decision may take up to 60 days.
Applicants will be notified of the decision by email.
Until the decision is communicated, applicants are not permitted to practice.
Upon approval, you will be sent an email containing a link to pay the registration fee. Once the fee is paid, registration will be finalized.
Once registration is finalized, your name and registration number will be added to the public directory. Check the public directory to verify your registration status.
